After the extinction of the star in the Andromeda Galaxy, this star sector fell into eternal darkness.
The Sulfur Dwarves lost their life-sustaining energy source. Their technological system was overly reliant on the energy output of the star. So much so, that during the entire development of their civilization, any equipment that did not plug into the energy output pipeline of the star, was all phased out. As a result, after the star went dark, the flames of their civilization came close to being extinguished too.
Now, there are only a few scattered lights left on their main star cluster. Upon closer observation, one can see that most of them belong to the mining development zones owned by the human race.
The Sulfur Dwarves possess a natural gift. They can mine a special kind of metal, Molten Steel, from the minerals of their home planet. This metal is extremely user-friendly for low-level space civilizations. With a large mining yield, balanced properties, and excellent performance in various attributes, one could say it's a perfect substitute for Vibranium.
Moreover, it'll soon evolve to be an upgraded substitute for Vibranium because its price is simply too low.
Firstly, the main star cluster where the Sulfur Dwarves are located covers a vast area and has a substantial number of planets, rich in mineral resources.
At the same time, although molten steel ore is not an open-pit mine, the Sulfur Dwarves have their mature mining system, so the mining difficulty is not high, and the mining cost is even lower.
The only relatively high cost is the transportation cost. Yet, the Kree's ships, powered by the star energy, are eternally used for transportation which, excluding the time cost, is virtually freeloading.
The low cost gives molten steel an extreme pricing advantage. Even if Vibranium excels in certain attributes, humanity quickly adopted this new metal, planning to toss Vibranium into the dustbin of history.
Vibranium is a metal; it won't get anxious, but Wakanda would.
The reason Wakanda can maintain such a high international status and possess such vast wealth is largely dependent upon the output of Vibranium.
Before the appearance of Molten Steel, Vibranium was far superior to other metals. Therefore, even though it was very expensive, countries gritted their teeth and bore the cost.
If everyone else is buying and you aren't, then when others develop new weapons, you'll be the one under attack. Consequently, the price of Vibranium skyrocketed, making Wakanda incredibly wealthy.
But now, with the emergence of Molten Steel, the price of Vibranium plummeted. It's cheaper than Vibranium and though it lacks in certain attributes, the sheer volume compensates for the lost attributes through the Exhaustion Method. As a result, Vibranium no longer remains the first choice for the international community.
This is fatal for Wakanda. As the Sulfur Dwarves overly relied on star energy, Wakanda had become overly dependent on Vibranium.
Molten Steel is not only cheap but also available in large quantities - enough to meet the immediate needs of national space technology development. With this, Vibranium has lost its market completely. Although Wakanda has the funds to hold out, no one in the world is angrier.
There are two ways to solve this situation: either no longer rely on Vibranium or raise the price of Vibranium again. The first method is obviously hard to achieve in a short period, and to achieve the latter, the output of Molten Steel is the key.
Quality, price, and output - if a product dominates in all three aspects, it's almost impossible for other commodities to compete. Since this material comes from outer space development funded by all humanity, all of humanity has the right to its use. Wakanda can't accuse them of monopoly and can't gain support on public opinion either.
At this critical moment, a mysterious force contacted Wakanda, proposing a solution to this problem, as long as they provided a little help.
Near the second largest ring volcano of the Sulfur Dwarf Main Star, Polaris moved through the dark alley of an abandoned power supply center. Her green hair fluttering with the breeze.
The extreme cold around her did nothing to her because of the faint white light radiated by Iceman's body behind her, maintaining a constant temperature within several meters around him.
Following Polaris were not only the students of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Blink, Rogue and several mutants infected by the Symbiont.
At the moment, they were led by a Sulfur Dwarf coated in weakly glowing golden lines spreading all over his body. Despite his serious expression, it was apparent that he was trying to get closer to the Iceman to fend off the cold.
Upon entering a large hall with some lighting, the strong and tall Sulfur Dwarf sitting in the main seat hadn't time to speak up when Polaris first retorted:
"Finally! Some light. I thought you guys couldn't light up this place. Oh well, what can I expect from a bunch of homeless dogs?"
With a "bang", a crack appeared on the arm of the chair. The tall Sulfur Dwarf sitting on the throne roared: "You cannot insult our race!"
"Didn't expect your English to be quite good. Did your human slave masters teach you that?" Polaris sneered, "Humans. A famously weak race in the cosmos. Were it not for the protection of the Father of All Gods, Odin, they would have been extinct a long time ago. To think you guys are being enslaved by such a puny race? Hahahaha!"
The Sulfur Dwarf inhaled deeply and said, "Regardless of who you represent, it was you who contacted us first…"
I come at the behest of the great His Majesty Thanos, an offspring of the mighty Titan Giants, the lord of the Dark Quadrant. Compared to his fleet, all civilizations of the Andromeda Galaxy combined are insignificant,"
Polaris held her head high, extended one hand, and lifted it slightly. All the parts in the base began to fly simultaneously.
She flipped her palm, spread her fingers, and gently pushed her hand forward. All parts turned into fast-flying bullets, pinned to the wall behind the Sulfur Dwarf.
The countenance of the Sulfur Dwarf Commander became stern instantly. He knew what this kind of power signified. Just a little earlier, someone possessing the same power had, with a slight grip, ignited the star they depended upon for survival.
The magnetic field here was completely locked in sync with the soft humming of Polaris, like a block of frozen ice, causing cold sweat to seep down the back of the towering Sulfur Dwarf.
Polaris lowered her eyelids, looked down at her own fingers, and whispered, "No wonder he likes to use this tactic, hmm ...."
Then, she turned her gaze to the leader of the Sulfur Dwarfs, saying, "We come to you, not because you have something to contribute to His Majesty Thanos' cause. You bunch of mongrels are only fit to be dogs. Yet even as dogs, His Majesty Thanos wishes them to make a merry bark."
The Sulfur Dwarf Leader tightly clenched the hammer in his hand, his arm veins bulging out, clearly unable to bear the insult. But Polaris didn't care at all as she coldly said,
"Either surrender, or die. Choose one."
"What can you give us if we work for you?" The Sulfur Dwarf leader asked, staring at Polaris.
"A bit of dog food would suffice, right? Hahaha... Your expression is telling me that you want a new main star. You want to recapture the mines and re-dominate the Andromeda Galaxy... Stop dreaming! "
Polaris's face hardened and she said, "His Majesty Thanos sent me to meet you, not out of charity to save you bunch of destitute beggars. Who do you blame for your current state? Isn't it your own fault?"
"I have seen many civilizations extinguished when their stars fade. Some of them, like you, cry out to the heavens as soon as the temperature drops, and in the end, they have to be saved by humans. You are the most useless race I've ever seen!"
The leader of the Sulfur Dwarfs grunted but did not show the same anger as before, for he knew that there was some truth in what Polaris had said, and he now regretted it.
Once, the Sulfur Dwarfs too had the ability to travel across the cosmos and naturally knew that star extinction was not an unusual phenomenon in the vast universe, and that many civilizations were affected by it.
They had seen such things several times before but had not been vigilant enough. They believed that the star of their home was very safe, and even during technological upgrades, they made no contingency plans, thus making it impossible to revert to any previous technological state.
Polaris flicked her hair again: "Anyway, this is how it is now, you might as well think about a solution."
"His Majesty Thanos can give you some support, but our objective is not to save you but to create a little trouble for the humans, after all, King Samus also desires the beautiful cosmic greenhouse."
"We support your rebellion, but it's not without a cost. First of all, after your rebellion against the humans and you take over the mine, give us 10% more than your original share…"
When the Sulfur Dwarf Leader was about to say something, Polaris quickly interjected: "You may think it unfair, but don't forget, we have to provide you with equipment, manpower…"
"And, we promise, as long as you can take over the mine, you can govern it yourself, you can gain the long-sought freedom you desire, how about it?"
At the word "freedom," the Sulfur Dwarf Leader was reminded of his days of being forced to learn the human language. The face of his old human teacher was utterly disgusting in his memory, but this word was incredibly beautiful.
"Of course, we came here with sincerity." Polaris clapped her hands, and the two mutants behind her stepped forward, handing her a briefcase. After opening the briefcase, Polaris revealed a few cubes inside.
Polaris said to the Sulfur Dwarf leader: "It's not convenient to show here. There's a mine not far from here. Blink, take us there."
Blink snapped his fingers, and everyone arrived at the location mentioned by Polaris. It was a small hill located on the east side of Ring Mountain. From here, they could see the black smoke billowing from the mine in the distance.
The enormous mechanical supervisor completely blockaded the entrance to the mine. Clutching the hammer in his hand, the Sulfur Dwarf Leader said, "Those are the monstrous machines created by the humans against the Sulfur Dwarfs. All their weapons have a low-temperature effect and can even freeze, and any frostbite is fatal to a Sulfur Dwarf…"
Yet Polaris revealed a taunting cold smile, took out a cube from the box, and with magnetic projection, flung it to the surrounding mine area.
In an instant, the compressed cube unfolded into a giant robot that the Sulfur Dwarf could not comprehend.
However, the response speed of the Guardian robots was very fast. Almost in an instant, several ice cones flew towards that giant robot.
But the ice cone, which inflicted quadruple damage on the Sulfur Dwarf, only made the robot's movements slightly slower when it hit the robot's body.
Soon after, a more ferocious firepower spewed out from the arms and back of the giant robot. Almost in an instant, it flattened all the guard robots at the entrance of the mine.
The leader of the Sulfur Dwarfs' eyes progressively brightened as he watched the giant robot tear the oppressive guard robots to shreds. He couldn't help but raise his hammer and roar with fury, and the rest of the rebellion rebels also let out similar roars.
On this planet where all traces of civilization had been extinguished, amid the vast and chilling winds and sand, the leader of the Sulfur Dwarfs raised his head to look at the night sky he was extremely familiar with. Emotions surged in his chest, but he quickly clenched his hammer, thumped his chest with his other hand, bowed his head, and said,
"Long live His Majesty Thanos!"
And Polaris, staring into the distance, murmured under her breath,
"Long live His Majesty Thanos…"